Financial Aid

Scholarship Information

To determine financial need, students must first apply for financial aid. Many students / families mistakenly think they do not qualify for aid. There are a few sources of aid, such as Unsubsidized and PLUS loans that are available regardless of need. See steps below to get started.

The first step is applying for admission to Cape Fear Community College (CFCC). If you have already applied skip to Step 2.

If you have applied to or attended CFCC during the past three years, you do not need tocomplete another application. Doing so will negatively affect your current records. If you are unsure about your last term of enrollment, contact Admissions at 910-362-7557.

If you do not have a PIN, Log onto www.pin.ed.gov. If you are a dependent student, your parent will need a PIN too. Next, Log onto www.fafsa.gov. Select the appropriate school year. Please see the info and aid tools tab below for more information. CFCC will contact you via your CFCC email in regards to your FAFSA, typically within 7-10 business days. You will either receive an award letter, or a letter requesting more documents.

If you wish to apply for a student or parent loan, you must first complete the FAFSA and then complete the paperwork located under the Programs tab below.

News, Links, and Financial Aid Tools

News & Announcements

Graduating from CFCC? Did you borrow student loans and have questions? Need help completing the required Exit Counseling? Please call our office for an appointment.

CFCC’s FAFSA priority date for Spring 2015

It is strongly recommended that applicants submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by November 19th and submit all requested supporting and loan application documents by December 1st for Spring 2015 financial aid consideration. We will continue to review and process applications received after the above dates but will not guarantee that aid will be finalized in time to avoid your having to pay out of pocket for tuition and fees and books and supplies. Please check your CFCC email account for updates on the status of your financial aid application.

The student is responsible for all charges in the absence of a financial aid award. Payment can be made by cash, check, debit card, MasterCard, VISA, American Express and Discover. WebAdvisor is available for making payments by debit and credit cards. Students may also enroll in the automatic monthly Tuition Payment Plan provided by Nelnet Business Solutions. To learn more about the Tuition Payment Plan, please visit http://cfcc.edu/businessoffice/paymentplan/. Make appropriate arrangements to pay to avoid having your schedule of classes canceled.

Revision to Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

If a satisfactory academic appeal is approved, the student regains financial aid eligibility for one probationary semester. During the probationary semester and all subsequent semesters, the student must achieve a 75% completion rate and maintain a term GPA of 2.0. Failure to do so will result in suspension of financial aid eligibility after which the student will regain eligibility ONLY by taking a minimum of 6 credits, without benefit of financial aid, until s/he is in compliance with all components of the CFCC satisfactory academic progress policy for Continued on Appeal status (75% completion rate and 2.0 minimum term GPA). Courses which the student retakes will not be included in the determination of Continued of Appeal status. The classes in which a student registers to regain eligibility must be required for program completion.

Financial Aid Eligibility/Refunds and 2nd Mini Session Registration

Students attending the full 16-week fall session and/or the first mini session are allowed to register for 2nd mini session classes during the first eight days of the full 16-week semester. The classes in which students enroll during this period of time will qualify for financial aid if the student is otherwise eligible. Students attending ONLY 2nd mini session classes can register for the 2nd mini session up to the day before the 2nd mini session begins to qualify for financial aid if the student is otherwise eligible. Students enrolled in the second mini session will not receive the financial aid associated with those credits until approximately four weeks after the start date of the second mini session. Click here for more details

New Loan Disbursement Rules Take Effect with the Spring 2014 Semester

Beginning with Spring 2014 and the foreseeable future, one-semester-only loans will be paid to students in two equal disbursements. For example, a student requests a Federal Direct Stafford Loan in the amount of $1750 to be received in the spring semester only. The second half of the loan, or $875, cannot be disbursed any earlier than the mid-point of the semester, which falls on March 7. This second disbursement will not be made to students who are no longer in attendance on March 7.

Because 18% of former CFCC loan borrowers have failed to repay their student loans, U.S. Department of Education regulations mandate that disbursements to current students be made as described above.

Check out SALT

CFCC has partnered with American Student Assistance to provide a new product, called “SALT,” to students and alumni. Take advantage of this new opportunity to:

Boost your financial smarts,

Manage college loan payments online,

Talk with expert counselors for personal student loan assistance, and

Discover exclusive deals and discounts.

You may have already received a “welcome” email directly from SALT, with information about your free membership to the program. Look for continuing messages which will provide timely financial tips and membership features you may find valuable.

Email Correspondence

Student correspondence from the Financial Aid Office is sent via e-mail. Students should check their CFCC e-mail accounts frequently for important information from the Financial Aid Office, including documents required to complete the application process and award notices. New applicants should allow 4 business days in the creation of a CFCC email account. Students can elect to receive paper copies in addition to electronic correspondence by indicating that preference on Webadvisor by clicking on “Financial Aid Correspondence Option”.

mygreatlakes.org/go/webcasts Great Lakes offers many webcasts on various Financial Aid questions. Attend a live session, and have your questions answered, or watch an on-demand session at your convenience.

Available Financial Aid Programs at CFCC

Federal Direct Student Loan Program

New Federal Regulation Limits Subsidized Loan Eligibility - A Federal Direct Loan borrower receiving his or her first loan on or after July 1, 2013, or a previous Direct or Federal Family Education Loan borrower who has repaid in full, is eligible for a subsidized Direct Loan for a maximum of 150% of the length of the academic program (certificate, diploma, degree) in which he is enrolled. For example, a borrower will be limited to receiving subsidized loans for 3 years if enrolled in a 2-year program. Borrowers reaching this limit can receive only unsubsidized loans, if all other eligibility criteria are met. Additionally, borrowers who reach the 150% limit will lose the interest subsidy on all outstanding subsidized loans.

Alternative Loans

If you are unsure who holds your loan(s) and need help identifying your lender, servicer and/or guarantor, use the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Student Access site to retrieve your loan information, including outstanding balances and statuses. You may also contact them by phone at 800-4-FED-AID (800.433.3243).